› added 2 years ago

79

TIL a boot-scraper, door scraper, or decrottoir is a device consisting of a metal blade, simple or elaborate, permanently attached to the wall or to the sidewalk at the entrance to a building to allow visitors to scrape snow, mud, leaves, or manure off the soles of their shoes before entering

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

P17rn TIL that Tony Chachere, the inventor of Tony’s seasoning, had already retired as a millionaire twice from two successful businesses (pharmaceuticals and insurance sales) before he became famous for his cooking and seasonings.
X0r98 TIL France helped America gain independence from Britain. During the American Revolution, Ben Franklin persuaded France to give troops, money, and supplies to support America. It was risky and expensive, but the French were convinced that unity with Americans would lead to Britain’s defeat in NA.
wW18 TIL in 2010 Paul the Octopus, from a German aquarium in Oberhausen, correctly predicted every single World Cup match outcome for the German National Team that year. He received death threats when he accurately foresaw their semi-final loss.
KYK66 TIL about PCR, which is a technique to make billions of copies of a specific DNA from a very small sample. The mix containing DNA is repeatedly heated and cooled, this breaks the DNA molecule and then duplicates it exponentially. The secret? A bacteria living in hot springs has a special enzyme
yQXQv TIL the Chihuahua (dog) was bred for food and as a heat pad by the ancient Aztecs and Mayas